Senate Hearing on Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Implementation

• •The hearing was the fourth oversight hearing conducted by the committee regarding the implementation of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).
• •The committee held 24 hearings between 2007 and 2014 and three hearings in 2015 to develop the legislation.
• •The hearing took place on June 29, 2016, in room 430 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.
• •The primary subject of the hearing was the U.S. Department of Education's proposed regulations for implementing ESSA.
• •Chairman Lamar Alexander expressed concern that the Department of Education's interpretation of the law's language may deviate from the intent of Congress.
• •The committee included 15 Senators in attendance, representing both parties.
• •Secretary John King provided a prepared statement for the record.
• •The committee received additional material, including a report titled 'Ensuring Equity in ESSA: The Role of N-Size in Subgroup Accountability'.

This hearing addresses the tension between Congress and the Department of Education regarding how federal education law is interpreted and enforced, which directly impacts state and local school accountability requirements.

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.